Venezuela: U.S. denied airspace permission to presidential plane

Venezuelan acting president Nicolas Maduro clenches his fist after he was sworn in, in Caracas, on March 8, 2013.

Story highlights

A State Department official says the plane was approved to clear U.S. airspace

Venezuelan officials say the U.S. denied airspace permission to their presidential plane

Venezuela's president says the U.S. also denied U.N. delegation visas

Maduro calls the move a "serious offense"

Venezuela accused the United States on Thursday of denying President Nicolas Maduro's plane permission to enter U.S. airspace -- a claim that a State Department official denied.

Foreign Minister Elias Jaua said U.S. officials have blocked plans for Maduro's presidential plane to fly through Puerto Rican airspace on the way to China.

He described the move as an aggression and called for an explanation from the U.S. State Department.

A senior State Department official told CNN that Jaua's claim was untrue, saying that the Venezuelans have, in fact, been approved to clear U.S. airspace.

In remarks broadcast on state television, Maduro called the situation "a serious offense."

The Venezuelan president vowed to take action, adding that the United States had also denied visas for several members of his country's delegation scheduled to attend the U.N. General Assembly in New York.